Category Archives: Insight

Mission

Let us consider a nation, for example. The nation, as a structure has not been haphazardly thrown together in the world, it is not something produced by chance; each nation, has its prescribed task in the course of human evolution. Anyone who contemplates a nation from a higher vantage point can reflect that every nation has a specific task; that his own nation has itself to fulfil a task which is incumbent on it. He can say to himself: I belong to this nation, so I must help to serve the common national task — and I am able so to serve, because an astrality lives in me which belongs to the whole nation. This national purpose is plainly expressed on the astral plane; it is an intentional thought — something that lives on higher planes than the astral plane. In order to meditate on the thoughts of the world laws, one must rise above the astral plane to the mental plane [devachan].

Now although the national thought does live in every individual [member], the individual is much more than just his national thought. In addition, he brings his own personality to expression. Something quite remarkable and special shows itself to us here. It is much easier for a person to see his way in the thought world of his nation, in his devachanic mission, than it is to bring about the [correct] balance between his own feelings and the national feelings. 

As man develops, however, he raises his own astral body up, it becomes more differentiated, more specific. And it is then possible for his astral body to be in a position to acquire that form of mind which lies above the mind of his nation. When what shines down from this higher level is intellectually or mentally grasped, then ideals can easily be taken up.

It sometimes also happens that the feelings of a person’s astral body have not developed so far as his thinking. The thoughts of a nation could influence the thinking of the individual so powerfully that they take hold of him before he has developed far enough within himself.

When such a person dies, who was a great and noble idealist, who has devoted himself to the ideals of his nation, he becomes overrun by the personal element still present in him. For the lower qualities of his astral body become totally predominant. Now suppose that such a person has become a martyr. He created something noble, but has been ill-treated by his nation, just as such advanced natures sometimes are. If he is persecuted, perhaps killed, on account of his ideals, then the thought of revenge comes into play immediately after his death. What he had suppressed as personal will still be there in Kamaloka.

A nation which treats its idealists in this fashion creates for itself bad powers in Kamaloka, which rebound against it. Russia has created bad powers of this kind. For years it has ill-treated many noble personalities. The baser forces of these personalities are now active in Kamaloka as enemies of what lives in Russia, as enemies of those for whom they made sacrifices in life. Such martyrs, who have recently died, can now be seen fighting on the side of the Japanese, against their own people. This is a fact which becomes comprehensible to us if we look into the more deeply active powers of the life of the soul. The events of the future become clear to us if we look at them from this aspect.

We live as members of the Germanic peoples, flanked by Slavonic peoples in the east, and by Anglo-American peoples in the west. Both the Americans and the Slavs are rising races who have to fulfill their purpose in the future, races who still stand at the beginning of their national thought.

The basic characteristic of the Slavonic peoples is expressed in their spiritual talents. If you try to understand the Slavonic culture, you will find that it tends towards a spiritual culture, that something spiritual is growing there.

In America we have a certain parallel. There, materialism is carried to the extreme, and has been pursued radically in all national perspectives. In modern times, that has led to the spirit itself being interpreted in a materialistic way.

Whereas, among the Slavonic peoples, individual personalities such as Tolstoy arose, who sought to stimulate development in a great and beautiful way, the American people took pains to conceive spirituality and the soul in a material way. Thus we find a strongly material spirituality and [indeed] spiritualism among them. With them, the spirit is sought for in exactly the same way as they search after physical truths. But it is precisely in the manner of seeking that the difference lies. If you seek to see the spiritual with the eyes, it becomes psychic, and this psychic aspect has developed itself very strongly in America.

You can see how the world here becomes understandable, when we contemplate it from an occult basis. If we seek to understand the occult view of the world then the world of phenomena becomes more and more comprehensible as well.

We have to earn our knowledge. What the investigator lacks in certainty or confidence, the certainty and confidence of belief must supply. [The two] must work together, therefore, and then they will undividedly produce in the end what must come to us undivided — the fruit of experience, knowledge. ~Rudolf Steiner, THE TEMPLE LEGEND, GA 93, PART III, The Relationship Between Occult Knowledge and Everyday Life, 23 October 1905, Berlin

20 May 2022 -“Speaking with the Stars”

Almigdad Aldikhaiiry

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Love is the final end of the world’s history, the Amen of the universe” ~Novalis

World Bee Day – Birthday in 1734 of Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping.The purpose of this international day is to acknowledge the role of bees & other pollinators for our ecosytem

325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of the divine nature of God the Son & His relationship to God the Father, the construction of the first part of the Nicene Creed, & establishing uniform observance of the date of Easter, & the promulgation of early canon law.

John Cabot - Explorers for Kids and Teachers - FREE Lesson Plans for  Teachers, Games for Kids | John cabot, John cabot explorer, Explorers  projects

1497 – John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Matthew looking for a route to the west.

1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Calicuta India.

1570 – Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas.

1609 – Shakespeare’s sonnets are illicitly published in London, by Thomas Thorpe.

1631 – The city of Magdeburg in Germany is seized by forces of the Holy Roman Empire & most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the Thirty Years’ War.

1645 – Yangzhou massacre: the 10-day massacre of 900,000 residents of the city of Yangzhou, part of the Transition from Ming to Qing.

1802 – By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution.

1813 – Napoleon Bonaparte leads his French troops into the Battle of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany, against the combined armies of Russia and Prussia. The battle ends the next day with a French victory

1862 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law

1883 – Krakatoa begins to erupt; the volcano explodes three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.

1891 –The first public display of Thomas Edison’s prototype kinetoscope.

1902 – Cuba gains independence from the United States.

1940 –The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz.

1956 – In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean

1983 – First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier.

1989 – The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Find a collection of the RECORDINGS of Presentations, Programs & Festivals HERE

Yoram Raanan

Announcing an exciting Event on Ascension Thursday, May 26th   7 – 8:30 pm Eastern time.

Climbing Jacob’s Ladder – Celebrating the Festival of Ascension with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg & Eurythmy with Maria Ver Eecke

“In heavy clouds let Him ascend
And so also let Him downward tread.
In cooling streams let Him be sent,
In flames of fire blaze His descent,
In air & essence, sound & dew
To permeate our whole earth thru” ~Novalis

Ascension is a Festival of the Elements, & of the Hierarchies, it relates to the Transfiguration & the fulfillment of the promise of the ‘Second Coming’. Together we will explore the mystery of ‘As Above so Below’.

            Hazel Archer-Ginsberg is a trans-denominational minister, essayist, lecturer, performer, and poet. She writes and curates ‘Reverse Ritual, Understanding Anthroposophy Through the Rhythms of the Year’ and the ‘I Think Speech’ podcast. Hazel’s been the Cultural Events and Festivals Coordinator for the Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago for over 10 years. She is a member of the Central Regional Council, the School for Spiritual Science, the Esoteric Youth Circle, and the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America.

                  Register by contacting Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, by Sunday, May 22nd. You will receive an email with the zoom link on Tuesday May 24.

Hope to see you there!! – YES! Please feel free to spread the word!

Yours, Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, for the the Eastern Region

A Whitsun Festival of United Soul Endeavor & Spirit Community

with the Eastern, Central and Western Regional Councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America

Sunday 29 May 2022 – 3 – 4:30 pm PT, 4-5:30 MT, 5-6:30 pm CT, 6-7:30 pm ET

We will be working with Rudolf Steiner’s THE FIFTH GOSPEL GA 148, Lecture II, 2 October 1913, Oslo

The Whitsun Festival highlights one of the greatest challenges of being human: placing our individual gifts, our individual “I”, in right relationship within the social realm. This challenge is strongly felt during this time of the consciousness soul age. Our groups striving to know Spiritual Science must work together as a community, to have the possibility to create this type of culture, and the opportunity is here for each of us to meet, human to human, where a sacrament is possible in every encounter. Our individual strength comes from our personal development and is enhanced by weaving our gifts together with others, knitting our social world in conscious community.

For more info. contact Hazel@ReverseRitual.com

Topic: All Regions Whitsun

Time: May 29, 2022 05:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7050174041?pwd=WkNaNDlPS0VIMTJUUkE1ZkFMaDh5dz09

Meeting ID: 705 017 4041

Passcode: Whitsun

The Holy Grail Study Group with the CRC
Mysteries of the Holy Grail – from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation
June 1, 2022 – 7:15 pm Central (8:15 pm Eastern)
“Anyone who approaches these mysteries today must feel that they are confronting and challenging themselves by striving for the virtues of Parzival, while knowing that — because of modern conditions — they are in fact someone else also, the wounded Amfortas. Today we bear this divided nature within us: aspiring Parzival, wounded Amfortas. That is what self-knowledge must lead us to feel. From this recognition will flow the forces which make a unity again of this duality, and will thus advance us a little further in world evolution.”~ from Chapter 15,  Rudolf Steiner, The Mysteries of the Holy GrailChapter 15 “Acknowledging Amfortas,” excerpts from Steiner’s lecture given at Berlin on 7 February 1913 (GA 144, lecture IV), will be the focus of the June 1 meeting.

A transcript of the entire lecture can be found on the RS Archive by clicking this link. Please consider giving to the development and maintenance of the digital library of Rudolf Steiner’s work.  Scroll to the bottom of this message to read more about the RSArchive.org and SteinerLibrary.org
The Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America invites you to join our ongoing  study conversation.  The study has been divided among two volunteers who will summarize their section to rebuild it as a foundation for our conversation. Please familiarize yourself with the lecture if possible so you will feel comfortable sharing your reflections and thoughts with the group.

This collection of lectures has been republished by Rudolf Steiner Press under the title: “The Mysteries of the Holy Grail — from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation.”  The book was compiled and edited by Matthew Barton, published by Rudolf Steiner Press in 2010.

This will be a “Zoom” conference call allowing us an opportunity to see one another while conversing (or audio only if you prefer).  To connect to the audio/video-conference:

Video Conference Details:Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88210505106

Meeting ID: 882 1050 5106
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,81116556762# US (Germantown)
+13126266799,,81116556762# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcHr5EVwrv

If you have questions, please contact Mary Mertz mary.mcginnis@juno.com or Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu.

There is a knighthood of the 21st century
whose riders do not ride through the darkness
of physical forests as of old,
but through the forest of darkened minds.
They are armed with a spiritual armor
and an inner sun makes them radiant.
Out of them shines healing,
healing that flows from the knowledge
of the human being as a spiritual being.
They must create inner order, inner justice,
peace and conviction in the darkness
of our time. ~Karl Konig

Agenda for this meeting (CST)
 7:15  Welcome and Introductions        
7:18  Verse
7:25  Study led by volunteers
Note: CRC team will ID volunteers
          Mariarosa – pages 117-123b
          Marianne – pages 123b-129
7:50  Conversation
8:25   ID volunteers for next meeting
8:28  Close with verse

Shiny New Penny

10:10 Testament – The Thought-Seed Project: It’s been awhile since we checked in around our ‘Egregore’ – our collective ‘Thought-Form’ of Good Will – our “key-call” to the powers on the Inner Planes, to enlist their aid.

Kari Frid

Through our continued intention to visualize the human being as a star & the Earth as a Sun*, our positive egregore grows between the material & spiritual worlds & is connected to both.

At the re-founding of the Anthroposophical Society, Rudolf Steiner connected not only his own karma, but ‘the Movement’ – i.e. The Spiritual Beings working behind the impulse of Anthroposophia – with the Society & its members. This impulse extends beyond the usual limits of space/time, connecting the eternal with the temporal. Our goal is to co-create a new ‘Group-Soul United in Christ’ thru our daily 10:10 meditation.

Here is the Meditative Thought-Seed I have been working with:

*For Thinking: “When I think light, my soul shines,
When my soul shines, the earth is a star,
When the earth is a star, then I am, a true human being”.
~Herbert Hahn

For Feeling: When I feel warmth, my heart sings
When my heart sings, the Earth resounds
When the Earth resounds, I am a true I AM

For Willing: When I will life, my hands help
When my hands help, the Earth heals
When the Earth heals, I am a free human being
~ Mary Lynn Channer & hag


Here’s a Steiner quote that supports our work:
Had the Event of Golgotha not occurred, the earth and the sun would never be able to reunite. For through the Event of Golgotha, which bound the force of the Elohim in the sun to the earth — in other words the force of the Logos — the impulse was given which will again eventually impel one Logos-force toward the other, and finally once more unite them — sun and earth — in one body. Since the Event of Golgotha, the earth, spiritually observed, is possessed of the force to draw the sun again into a unity with it.

Therefore it can be said that through this great Event, the force of the Logos, which formerly radiated down upon the earth from without, was now taken up into its spiritual being.
The question may be asked, what existed previously within the body of the earth? It was that force which streamed down upon it from the sun. But since that time, what exists there within the earth? – The Logos itself which through Golgotha has become the spirit of the earth. As truly as your soul and spirit dwell within your physical body, do also the soul and spirit of the earth dwell within the body of the earth. This soul and spirit, this earth spirit is the Christ
.” ~ The Gospel of St. John, Lecture 7 –THE MYSTERY OF GOLGOTHA

Feel Free to access recordings from my various presentations.

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day (Help support the RSarchives!)

Yoram Raanan

Announcing an exciting Event on Ascension Thursday, May 26th   7 – 8:30 pm Eastern time.

Climbing Jacob’s Ladder – Celebrating the Festival of Ascension with Hazel Archer-GinsbergEurythmy with Maria Ver Eecke

“In heavy clouds let Him ascend
And so also let Him downward tread.
In cooling streams let Him be sent,
In flames of fire blaze His descent,
In air & essence, sound & dew
To permeate our whole earth thru” ~Novalis

Ascension is a Festival of the Elements, & of the Hierarchies, it relates to the Transfiguration & the fulfillment of the promise of the ‘Second Coming’. Together we will explore the mystery of ‘As Above so Below’.

            Hazel Archer-Ginsberg is a trans-denominational minister, essayist, lecturer, performer, and poet. She writes and curates ‘Reverse Ritual, Understanding Anthroposophy Through the Rhythms of the Year’ and the ‘I Think Speech’ podcast. Hazel’s been the Cultural Events and Festivals Coordinator for the Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago for over 10 years. She is a member of the Central Regional Council, the School for Spiritual Science, the Esoteric Youth Circle, and the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America.

                  Register by contacting Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, by Sunday, May 22nd. You will receive an email with the zoom link on Tuesday May 24.

Hope to see you there!! – YES! Please feel free to spread the word!

Yours, Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, for the the Eastern Region

A Whitsun Festival of United Soul Endeavor & Spirit Community

with the Eastern, Central and Western Regional Councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America

Sunday 29 May 2022 – 3 – 4:30 pm PT, 4-5:30 MT, 5-6:30 pm CT, 6-7:30 pm ET

We will be working with Rudolf Steiner’s THE FIFTH GOSPEL GA 148, Lecture II, 2 October 1913, Oslo

The Whitsun Festival highlights one of the greatest challenges of being human: placing our individual gifts, our individual “I”, in right relationship within the social realm. This challenge is strongly felt during this time of the consciousness soul age. Our groups striving to know Spiritual Science must work together as a community, to have the possibility to create this type of culture, and the opportunity is here for each of us to meet, human to human, where a sacrament is possible in every encounter. Our individual strength comes from our personal development and is enhanced by weaving our gifts together with others, knitting our social world in conscious community.

For more info. contact Hazel@ReverseRitual.com

Topic: All Regions Whitsun

Time: May 29, 2022 05:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7050174041?pwd=WkNaNDlPS0VIMTJUUkE1ZkFMaDh5dz09

Meeting ID: 705 017 4041

Passcode: Whitsun

The Holy Grail Study Group with the CRC
Mysteries of the Holy Grail – from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation
June 1, 2022 – 7:15 pm Central (8:15 pm Eastern)
“Anyone who approaches these mysteries today must feel that they are confronting and challenging themselves by striving for the virtues of Parzival, while knowing that — because of modern conditions — they are in fact someone else also, the wounded Amfortas. Today we bear this divided nature within us: aspiring Parzival, wounded Amfortas. That is what self-knowledge must lead us to feel. From this recognition will flow the forces which make a unity again of this duality, and will thus advance us a little further in world evolution.”~ from Chapter 15,  Rudolf Steiner, The Mysteries of the Holy GrailChapter 15 “Acknowledging Amfortas,” excerpts from Steiner’s lecture given at Berlin on 7 February 1913 (GA 144, lecture IV), will be the focus of the June 1 meeting.

A transcript of the entire lecture can be found on the RS Archive by clicking this link. Please consider giving to the development and maintenance of the digital library of Rudolf Steiner’s work.  Scroll to the bottom of this message to read more about the RSArchive.org and SteinerLibrary.org
The Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America invites you to join our ongoing  study conversation.  The study has been divided among two volunteers who will summarize their section to rebuild it as a foundation for our conversation. Please familiarize yourself with the lecture if possible so you will feel comfortable sharing your reflections and thoughts with the group.

This collection of lectures has been republished by Rudolf Steiner Press under the title: “The Mysteries of the Holy Grail — from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation.”  The book was compiled and edited by Matthew Barton, published by Rudolf Steiner Press in 2010.

This will be a “Zoom” conference call allowing us an opportunity to see one another while conversing (or audio only if you prefer).  To connect to the audio/video-conference:

Video Conference Details:Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88210505106

Meeting ID: 882 1050 5106
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,81116556762# US (Germantown)
+13126266799,,81116556762# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcHr5EVwrv

If you have questions, please contact Mary Mertz mary.mcginnis@juno.com or Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu.

There is a knighthood of the 21st century
whose riders do not ride through the darkness
of physical forests as of old,
but through the forest of darkened minds.
They are armed with a spiritual armor
and an inner sun makes them radiant.
Out of them shines healing,
healing that flows from the knowledge
of the human being as a spiritual being.
They must create inner order, inner justice,
peace and conviction in the darkness
of our time. ~Karl Konig

Agenda for this meeting (CST)
 7:15  Welcome and Introductions        
7:18  Verse
7:25  Study led by volunteers
Note: CRC team will ID volunteers
          Mariarosa – pages 117-123b
          Marianne – pages 123b-129
7:50  Conversation
8:25   ID volunteers for next meeting
8:28  Close with verse

Buddha meets Medusa

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is LunarEclipseChart.png

The Buddha (whose name means: *The Awakened One* or *One who Knows*) was born in 563 BC on the Full Moon of May. Traditionally, Buddha’s Birthday is known as ‘Wesak’, the major Buddhist festival of the year. It celebrates the birth, enlightenment & death of the Buddha on one & the same day.

This year we will experience a total lunar eclipse of Buddha’s Moon beginning in the stars of Libra (quickly moving into Scorpio) opposite the Sun in line with the star Algol, Medusa’s forehead in the constellation of Perseus, above Taurus.  Sun & Moon will form a T square relationship with Saturn, still in the stars of Capricorn (Same as during the great conjunction of 2020)

This eclipse will occur in the Descending/South Lunar Node, Cauda Draconis—the tail of the dragon, in the stars of Libra. The lunar nodes are connected to karma & past lives. The descending node carries the unconscious karmic forces & patterns from the past which often appear in life as destructive forces.

In the heavens the constellation most associated with Michael is Libra, the Scales. Libra stands between the cosmic Sophia/Virgo & the Dragon/Scorpio, defending the Sophia against the dragon who seeks to devour the Child she is birthing. This picture comes from the Revelation of John. So, we can see in Libra, the imagination of Michael, holding the sword of truth & the scales of justice, the defender of cosmic intelligence who earnestly awaits our efforts to unite with the redemption of the fallen earthly intelligence.

Libra is the constellation of the threshold in the human being in the region of the hips, the realm of balance, which is the boundary between the upper & lower human being; the threshold into the lower will – the more unconscious realm.

How does Rudolf Steiner speak of eclipses? In ‘Human Questions and Cosmic Answers‘, he describes the lunar eclipse: “…Now the earth comes between the sun and the moon; hence we see the shadow cast upon the moon by the earth. That is the physical explanation. But a spiritual reality is behind the physical fact. When there is an eclipse of the moon, thoughts stream through darkness down upon the earth; and such thoughts have a closer relationship with the subconscious life than with the conscious life of the human being…”

Steiner continues to describe these eclipses as necessary – provided by the higher beings as “safety valves”, as a kind of needed outlet that helps keep cosmic order.

The lunar eclipse exists for the purpose of allowing the evil thoughts which are present in the cosmos to approach those human beings who are desirous of being possessed by them. In matters of this kind people do not, as a rule, act in full consciousness, but the facts are nevertheless real.”

So, we have this picture of the lunar eclipse as allowing the evil thoughts in the cosmos to stream into human beings – taking place in the the dragon’s tail, carrying the untransformed forces from past karma. The Moon is in the stars of Libra, the stars of the powerful being Michael, on the threshold between the higher & lower in us. The Sun is blocked by the earth, standing at the beginning of the stars of Taurus, the constellation of the ‘Word’ in its macrocosmic aspect. Above Taurus in the constellation of Perseus (a Michael figure), is the star Algol, which is eye or forehead of Medusa, a beautiful gorgon maiden who became a dark creature, with serpents for hair, whose gaze turned all who looked upon her to stone.

In one story Medusa was the mother of Pegasus when she was a beautiful maiden. In another version it is told that from her decapitation by Perseus, Pegasus arose from her blood. In either case, there is this fascinating relationship between the gaze that turns all things to stone – a type of a thinking that kills living thought – & the winged intelligence of Pegasus.

Algol, in astronomy, is a binary star- two stars that rotate around each other, one larger & brighter than the other, so that it appears to “wink” in the sky, going brighter then dimmer in a cycle lasting about 3 days. This has been called the Winking Demon. Its name Algol, comes from the Arabic, Al Ghul which literally means: a mischief-maker, but later came to mean the Demon’s Head. The Hebrews knew it as “Rosh ha Satan”, Satan’s Head. The Chinese name for Algol meant “piled up corpses” It has been viewed by astrologers throughout history as the most evil & dangerous star in the heavens, often associated with violence, brutality & sudden death or murder. (Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, Richard Hinckley Allen)

To add to this Saturn’s stand at a 90-degree square during the eclipse, creating the bottom line of the T. This square aspect is a Martian aspect of war,  confrontation, aggression, as well as materialism.

Saturn is the bearer of world karma, the memory of all the past, & how it must be taken up. It is the realm of the Father, the will of the Divine Plan for evolution, from which we have wandered, but which must be reckoned with, which is the purpose of karma, to bring us again in line with our higher plan, both as world & individual karma.

So, at this precise moment the Moon, Earth & Sun line up in a lunar eclipse in a square with Saturn in Capricorn, where it was at the Great Conjunction of 2020, the constellation of initiation & catharsis.

Here we have a cosmic statement to humanity. We are being challenged by this word: “Come to terms with the consequences of the past, the descent into materialism, the darkness and destruction that have resulted from our failure to awaken to the spiritual realities!” This word rings out in many manifestations which are clearly visible in our world today.

The binary demon star & the darkened Moon in the stars of the threshold, are in a square, a confrontation with world karma. Without anthroposophy & the knowledge of Michael – Sophia – Christ, this is a dark & violent configuration. But by Being forewarned we are forearmed. We can consciously meet this eclipse so that the new thinking, the living winged intelligence can be born. This can lead to inspiration & christened thoughts that can meet the dark will impulses streaming in. If this is done even by only a few, it will have power over the many who seek the darkness.

In the Gospel of John, Chapters 15 – 16, Christ is speaking to his disciples at the last supper about the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit; about the suffering & attacks that will come, & how he must leave them so that the Holy Spirit can descend – so that they can experience the Christ within themselves. “In the world you have much hardship and tribulation, but take courage, I AM has overcome the world.”

We are in the 40 days between Easter & Ascension when the risen Christ gave the Disciples His most esoteric teachings, to make them ready to receive the awakening of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

We can enkindle the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit & bring that light into the night of this eclipse. We can read Chapter 16 of John & meditate on the ever present help of Michael.

And we can remember that The Full Moon in May is a mystically auspicious time – This ‘Buddha Moon’ is considered to be the greatest moment of spiritual contact for the entire year. Great polarities are said to be synthesized & consequently united at this festival. Hope is revived in the world, & great seeds of beauty, truth, & goodness are planted within us — qualities needed for the unity of humankind.

The Wesak Festival provides us each year with a reception of the tools of love & wisdom, to fulfill this ancient prophecy. What all the higher beings have done, we can do also, taking up our responsibility as the 10th hierarchy to radiate the Christ Impulse out to all the kingdoms of Earth – becoming like little suns – emanating rays from the very core of our “I”, through the vehicle of our bodies, from our purified hearts, & specifically from our forehead, where our third eye is located. This is the Bulls Eye of Taurus – to reclaim the Sun of May & redeem the winking demon in the mystery of transformatation.

~hag

With thanks to Astrosopher Jonathan Hilton for his many insights quoted here. astrosophy.com

May 15-16, 2022 Lunar Eclipse - coverage map

Visit Timeanddate.com to get an exact timing of the eclipse from your location.

EVENTUTC TIMETIME IN CHICAGO*VISIBLE IN CHICAGO
Penumbral Eclipse beginsMay 16 at 01:32:05May 15 at 8:32:05 pmYes
Partial Eclipse beginsMay 16 at 02:27:52May 15 at 9:27:52 pmYes
Full Eclipse beginsMay 16 at 03:29:03May 15 at 10:29:03 pmYes
Maximum EclipseMay 16 at 04:11:28May 15 at 11:11:28 pmYes
Full Eclipse endsMay 16 at 04:53:55May 15 at 11:53:55 pmYes
Partial Eclipse endsMay 16 at 05:55:07May 16 at 12:55:07 amYes
Penumbral Eclipse endsMay 16 at 06:50:49May 16 at 1:50:49 amYes
The Moon is above the horizon during this eclipse, so the entire eclipse is visible in Chicago

Visit Timeanddate.com to get an exact timing of the eclipse from your location.

Laura Summer

RUDOLF STEINER’S CALENDAR OF THE SOUL
translated (with added titles) by Roy Sadler
EASTERTIDE V
The Resurrection of the Soul
v5

In light, whose fertile weaving
from depth of spirit into blossoming
reveals the beauty of the gods’ creating,
the being of the soul is shining, widening,
enlivened in the presence of the world
and resurrected
from narrow selfhood’s inner power.

Karl König describes this as the voice of the Tenor,
uniting with the spirit through the senses.
It is part of the Light quartet.
The mirror verse is the voice of the Alto,
intuitive love at the full moon in Leo
(Rudolf Steiner’s birthday week).
LENT III
The Light’s Awakening Of Love
v48

In light, whose flowing from the heights
would be the world’s empowering of soul,
let shine the certainty of cosmic thought
that solves soul riddles
and focusing its radiant power
in human hearts
awakens love.

The opposite verse is the voice of the Soprano,
the inspired will for the spirit’s birth.
ALL HALLOWTIDE II
The Ripening Of Creative Powers
v31

The light from spirit depths
strives outwards like the sun,
becomes life’s strength of will
and shines in senses’ dullness
to free the forces
that ripen creative powers
in human work the soul initiates.

The mirror of this is the voice of the Baritone,
incarnating spirit with imaginative power.
AUTUMN PRELUDE II
The Ripening Of Self
v22

The cosmic light lives on with inner power,
becomes the light of soul
and shines in depths of spirit
to free the fruits of cosmic self
that from them in the course of time
the human self will ripen.

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day (god bless the RSarchives)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (Sourced from RSarchives, Wikilinks, astronomy.com)

According to T.H. Myer & the ‘Present Age’ TODAY in 1922 – there was a ‘Nationalist’ assault on Rudolf Steiner as he was giving a public lecture in Munich.

Yoram Raanan

Announcing an exciting Event on Ascension Thursday, May 26th   7 – 8:30 pm Eastern time.

Climbing Jacob’s Ladder – Celebrating the Festival of Ascension with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

“In heavy clouds let Him ascend
And so also let Him downward tread.
In cooling streams let Him be sent,
In flames of fire blaze His descent,
In air & essence, sound & dew
To permeate our whole earth thru” ~Novalis

Ascension is a Festival of the Elements, & of the Hierarchies, it relates to the Transfiguration & the fulfillment of the promise of the ‘Second Coming’. Together we will explore the mystery of ‘As Above so Below’.

            Hazel Archer-Ginsberg is a trans-denominational minister, essayist, lecturer, performer, and poet. She writes and curates ‘Reverse Ritual, Understanding Anthroposophy Through the Rhythms of the Year’ and the ‘I Think Speech’ podcast. Hazel’s been the Cultural Events and Festivals Coordinator for the Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago for over 10 years. She is a member of the Central Regional Council, the School for Spiritual Science, the Esoteric Youth Circle, and the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America.

                  Register by contacting Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, by Sunday, May 22nd. You will receive an email with the zoom link on Tuesday May 24.

Hope to see you there!! – YES! Please feel free to spread the word!

Yours, Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, for the the Eastern Region

A Whitsun Festival of United Soul Endeavor & Spirit Community

with the Eastern, Central and Western Regional Councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America

Sunday 29 May 2022 – 3 – 4:30 pm PT, 4-5:30 MT, 5-6:30 pm CT, 6-7:30 pm ET

We will be working with Rudolf Steiner’s THE FIFTH GOSPEL GA 148, Lecture II, 2 October 1913, Oslo

The Whitsun Festival highlights one of the greatest challenges of being human: placing our individual gifts, our individual “I”, in right relationship within the social realm. This challenge is strongly felt during this time of the consciousness soul age. Our groups striving to know Spiritual Science must work together as a community, to have the possibility to create this type of culture, and the opportunity is here for each of us to meet, human to human, where a sacrament is possible in every encounter. Our individual strength comes from our personal development and is enhanced by weaving our gifts together with others, knitting our social world in conscious community.

For more info. contact Hazel@ReverseRitual.com

Topic: All Regions Whitsun

Time: May 29, 2022 05:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 705 017 4041

Passcode: Whitsun

The Holy Grail Study Group with the CRC
Mysteries of the Holy Grail – from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation
June 1, 2022 – 7:15 pm Central (8:15 pm Eastern)
“Anyone who approaches these mysteries today must feel that they are confronting and challenging themselves by striving for the virtues of Parzival, while knowing that — because of modern conditions — they are in fact someone else also, the wounded Amfortas. Today we bear this divided nature within us: aspiring Parzival, wounded Amfortas. That is what self-knowledge must lead us to feel. From this recognition will flow the forces which make a unity again of this duality, and will thus advance us a little further in world evolution.”~ from Chapter 15,  Rudolf Steiner, The Mysteries of the Holy GrailChapter 15 “Acknowledging Amfortas,” excerpts from Steiner’s lecture given at Berlin on 7 February 1913 (GA 144, lecture IV), will be the focus of the June 1 meeting.

A transcript of the entire lecture can be found on the RS Archive by clicking this link. Please consider giving to the development and maintenance of the digital library of Rudolf Steiner’s work.  Scroll to the bottom of this message to read more about the RSArchive.org and SteinerLibrary.org
The Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America invites you to join our ongoing  study conversation.  The study has been divided among two volunteers who will summarize their section to rebuild it as a foundation for our conversation. Please familiarize yourself with the lecture if possible so you will feel comfortable sharing your reflections and thoughts with the group.

This collection of lectures has been republished by Rudolf Steiner Press under the title: “The Mysteries of the Holy Grail — from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation.”  The book was compiled and edited by Matthew Barton, published by Rudolf Steiner Press in 2010.

This will be a “Zoom” conference call allowing us an opportunity to see one another while conversing (or audio only if you prefer).  To connect to the audio/video-conference:

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Meeting ID: 882 1050 5106
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If you have questions, please contact Mary Mertz mary.mcginnis@juno.com or Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu.

There is a knighthood of the 21st century
whose riders do not ride through the darkness
of physical forests as of old,
but through the forest of darkened minds.
They are armed with a spiritual armor
and an inner sun makes them radiant.
Out of them shines healing,
healing that flows from the knowledge
of the human being as a spiritual being.
They must create inner order, inner justice,
peace and conviction in the darkness
of our time. ~Karl Konig

Agenda for this meeting (CST)
 7:15  Welcome and Introductions        
7:18  Verse
7:25  Study led by volunteers
Note: CRC team will ID volunteers
          Mariarosa – pages 117-123b
          Marianne – pages 123b-129
7:50  Conversation
8:25   ID volunteers for next meeting
8:28  Close with verse

 ‘I Think Speech’ podcast for today‘s Vision

Dear Friends- The universe is eternally creative. Something is always coming into being, or transforming into something else. To awaken to this process makes us co-creators. We become a willing accomplice – for our attention & intention sets up a radiating frequency that morphs matter. Don’t underestimate the vibration of Devotion. And if this Hope & Faith is backed by Love, it is never blind – it’s visionary – Quixotic – Starry-eyed without the rose colored glasses…

Marino Petro

I just did a prsentation for the Faust Branch called ‘From Neccesity to Freedom’ – Here’s the link

Many times when talking about destiny or fate, Rudolf Steiner reminds us that ‘miracles are never-not-happening’. Our angels are ever working, whether we are aware of it or not, to help guide & protect us. Just imagine how much more effective we can be if we are consciously working with them?

If we make the connections & see the workings of the wizard behind the curtain, the wizard of our higher-self, what might appear broken is already programmed for repair.

Devan Newendlan

Throw trust into the eternal handiwork of the infinitely creative process of evolution, & watch how what appears to be a road block shapeshifts into a more scenic drive, leading into opportunity.

June Li

And guess what? As cliche as it is true: There’s no time like the present – Because: It’s caterpillar season folks. What happens inside a chrysalis or cocoon? Well first, the caterpillar digests itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve all of its tissues. Go ahead – disintegrate into an “imaginal soup” knowing that you will emerge as the butterfly. Marianne Williamson, who I still visualize as the perfect president, said: “Only infinite patience produces immediate results.”

Davey Barnwell

So let’s be the process, expecting nothing less than the daily magnificence of tiny miracles, which we can recognize, Rise to meet & manifest.

See you on the high road

~hag

6 May 2022 – “Speaking with the Stars”: To the right of the thick crescent Moon this evening shine the two heads of the Gemini twins, as shown below. In springtime the stick-figure twins stand upright

Irene Hardwicke Olivieri Artist Interview | Scribble08 by Mark Murphy |  Art, Art block, Artist
Irene Wardwicke

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day (so thankful for rsarchive.org/)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (From the Calendar of the Soul by Rudolf Steiner & Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Meagan O’ Santter

“What is to be the starting force & impulse for events in social & ethical life must come out of the spiritual world.” Rudolf Steiner, New Spiritual Impulses in History” Dornach 16 December, 1917

Birthday of St. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. Thru the research of Rudolf Steiner (GA 93, 264, 265) we hear of this individuality in other lives as: Hiram, Lazarus, Christian Rosenkreutz, St. Germain.

680 Death-day of Muawiyah Caliph. The meaning of Muawiyah in Arabic is “young fox”. Muawiyah worked as a scribe for Muhammad. The story goes: He had a pen behind his ear which he had not used. The Prophet said, ‘What is this on your ear?’ He said, ‘A pen which I have made ready for Allah & His Messenger.’ The Prophet said. ‘May Allah repay you well on behalf of your Prophet! By Allah, I will only ask you to write down revelation from heaven.”

In 639, Muawiyah was appointed as the governor of Syria. Under his governance the Syrian army became a major military force. Muawiya was one of the first to realize the full importance of having a navy. During his naval expeditions he took Rhodes & later Cyprus; then shifted his focus back towards Constantinople, & Anatolia. By his creation of a fleet, Muawiyah was the driving force of the Muslim effort against Byzantium. His navy raided the Byzantine islands & coasts at will. The shocking defeat of the imperial fleet by the young Muslim navy at the Battle of the Masts in 655 was of critical turning point. It opened up the Mediterranean, considered a “Roman lake”, & began a centuries-long series of naval conflicts over the control of the Mediterranean. This also allowed the expansion of the state into Africa & Spain. Trade between the Muslim eastern & southern shores & the Christian northern shores almost ceased during this period, isolating Western Europe from developments in the Muslim world. Muawiyah was crowned as caliph at a ceremony in Jerusalem in 661.

We learn from Karmic Relationships Vol. 7 lecture 6 that he was reincarnated as Woodrow Wilson.

1871 – Birthday of Christian Morgenstern, was a member of the General Anthroposophical SocietyDr. Rudolf Steiner called him ‘a true representative of Anthroposophy’. In 1881 his mother Charlotte died of a lung disease which he inherited from her and which was to overshadow his life with a long series of sanatorium stays. Morgenstern was a German author & poet from Munich. He worked for a while as a journalist in Berlin, but spent much of his life traveling through Germany, Switzerland, & Italy, primarily in a vain attempt to recover his health. His travels, though they failed to restore him to health, allowed him to meet many of the foremost literary & philosophical figures of his time in central Europe.

In January 1909 he met Rudolf Steiner , with whom he became a close friend, and in the same year he joined the German section of the Theosophical Society led by him. When this organization was split up in 1912/1913, he stayed on Steiner’s side and became a member of the Anthroposophical Society.

Morgenstern’s comical poetry still inspires today. Morgenstern unfolds his amiable, but sometimes also shrewd language wit especially in the poetry collection Galgenlieder: “How the toad sings so foolishly in the nearby reed!” His best-known poem is The Impossible Fact . The conclusion became a catchphrase: “[…] because, he concludes with razor-sharpness, what cannot be cannot be.” In “Scholastikerprobleme” he discussed how many angels could sit on a needle. Many Germans know some of his poems & quotations by heart.

• “I shall excavate the strata of my soul.”
• “I’m a man of limits: forever physically, emotionally, morally and artistically on the brink of plunging into the abyss. Yet I manage to keep my balance and possess presence of mind.”
• “I bear no treasures within me. I only possess the power to transform much of what I touch into something of value. I have no depths, save my incessant desire for the depths.”

Morgenstern’s poems have been set to music by many composers

Christian Morgenstern was also an acclaimed translator, rendering into German various prominent works from Norwegian and French, including the dramas and poems of Henrik Ibsen, Knut Hamsun, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson & August Strindberg. He died of tuberculosis.

Natalia Toledo

Moonrise
In the tops of the forest,
the rigid and black
in the pale twilight sky
ghosts,
hangs a big one
shiny soap bubble.

It is slowly loosening
from the branches
and floats up
in the ether.

Down in the thicket
lies Pan,
in the mouth
a long reed,
there is still the foam on it
of the nearby pond
encrusted shimmers.

He blew bubbles,
the cheerful god:
but most of them
planted him treacherously.


Just one
held up bravely
and flew out
from the crowns.

There she drifts shimmering
carried by the wind,
across the country.
Rises higher and higher
the fragile ball.

But Pan looks
with a pounding heart –
restrained breath –
after her.

~Christian Morgenstern

‘Let Freedom Ring – Reclaiming the Wisdom of Columbia – Folk Soul of America’.

A zoom presentation with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg For the Greater Washington Branch of the Anthroposophical Society

1 pm ET – 2:30 pm ET Saturday 14 May 2022

Join Zoom Meeting:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86119386116

Meeting ID: 861 1938 6116

Email asgwb.dc@gmail.com with any questions

Hazel Archer-Ginsberg – Founder of Reverse Ritual: Understanding Anthroposophy through the Rhythms of the Year & the ‘I Think Speech’ Podcast. Trans-denominational Minister, Essayist, Lecturer, Poet, Anthroposopher – working as the Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, & as the Central Regional Council representative on the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America. Past Video Recordings

Yoram Raanan

Announcing an exciting Event on Ascension Thursday, May 26th   7 – 8:30 pm Eastern time.

Climbing Jacob’s Ladder – Celebrating the Festival of Ascension with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

“In heavy clouds let Him ascend
And so also let Him downward tread.
In cooling streams let Him be sent,
In flames of fire blaze His descent,
In air & essence, sound & dew
To permeate our whole earth thru” ~Novalis

Ascension is a Festival of the Elements, & of the Hierarchies, it relates to the Transfiguration & the fulfillment of the promise of the ‘Second Coming’. Together we will explore the mystery of ‘As Above so Below’.

            Hazel Archer-Ginsberg is a trans-denominational minister, essayist, lecturer, performer, and poet. She writes and curates ‘Reverse Ritual, Understanding Anthroposophy Through the Rhythms of the Year’ and the ‘I Think Speech’ podcast. Hazel’s been the Cultural Events and Festivals Coordinator for the Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago for over 10 years. She is a member of the Central Regional Council, the School for Spiritual Science, the Esoteric Youth Circle, and the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America.

                  Register by contacting Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, by Sunday, May 22nd. You will receive an email with the zoom link on Tuesday May 24.

Hope to see you there!!

YES! Please feel free to spread the word!

Yours,

Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, for the the Eastern Region

What is the Veil?

Within the aura of the Solar Eclipse energy on this Walpurgisnacht – what is being revealed to me more & more as the distillation process continues from the Sophia Rising Convergence is that: The unveiling of the New Isis-Sophia is not an abstract concept – it is not some convenient pet phrase to be bantered about without doing the work. We have to live it.

We have to be willing to pull back the curtain – to reveal the Wizard of Oz – who is, after all, a human being just like us. We don’t have to pretend we are all powerful & have all the answers, or think that we are unworthy to lift the veil. It is enough to be like Johannes in the Mystery Dramas, or like Faust – ever stumbling & striving to live in freedom & in Love.

Naming the forces that seek to divide us, that work to keep us in the dark, breaks the spell of concealment in which the adversarial powers lurk. If we use the courage of Michael to lift our own veil, allowing the vulnerability we seek to hide to become transparent, we are more able to do the practical work of revealing our karma & destiny, opening the way to healing & growth for ourselves & in the Social Sphere.

Sharing provides a valuable teaching moment. Putting our process into words helps us see what is working behind our own biographies & also provides an example to others that says yes, we are all in the same boat, the life boat of humanity & we can work together to keep it a-float when we have honest constructive communication. And of course I realize that this meeting of the other has to be done with consent & met in freedom when the time is ripe, it cannot be imposed or one-sided, & that takes patience on my part, which I am still learning to practice.

Janet Morgan

Naming the helpers, the times when our higher self is shining, as well as the hindrances that appear as obstacles on our path, makes conscious what is often kept behind the veil.  When we employ the courage of Michael, to pierce thru that veil of shame, that veil hiding our true Self, that veil of protection, we can access the wisdom of the Sophia, & thru the Being of Love we can become the Parzival on a quest for the Holy Grail which is the unveiling of our true destiny.  

I am feeling the need to take the digesting deeper, but 1st I want to acknowledge the initiator of the spark that set many hearts ablaze for the Sophia – How the impulse that was living in so many of us was ignited by one person’s initiative. Laura Scappaticci had the idea to invite folks to announce a conversation theme for each of the lunch tables, during the AGM in 2019. She then casually put out the word that anyone who was interested could come to a Lunch table with the intention to talk about The Sophia – and before we knew it we had to add another table then more chairs & then more, for the 40 folks who answered the call. That impulse became The Sophia Circle, where a group of us met on zoom all thru the corona-crisis, taking turns sharing our Sophia Biographies; which then morphed into the Sophia Community Circle monthly webinar sharing, which went on for a year – all leading up to our Sophia Rising Convergence.  I am so grateful for Laura’s initiative which lives on in each of us. This feels like only the beginning of this work which will continue to be unveiled & blossom forth in the world.

Before I leave off, I wanted to mention how powerful it was to have such a presence of the arts there in Santa Fe. Besides the ArtActs that we wove into everyday, there was a collage and card-making room filled with delightful scraps to work with. We were left free to decorate the notebooks which every participant was given, or make cards for the Prison Outreach Program. In that room there was also an Art Dispersal hosted by Free Columbia, organized by Patricia Homan Lynch; & an Altar made by Applied Anthroposophy coordinators Jordan Walker & Angela Foster, featuring a ‘Honey Clock’.

The podium became our Nature Altar which folks added to all weekend. And the Hotel Library was our official ‘Sanctuary Room’, a quiet space perfect for meditation, & contemplation. I also spent a lot of time in the exhibitor’s room, where John-Scott Legg had the SteinerBooks set up. The evocative cover art by Eyahnna DalBo was part of the silent auction & went home with many Art Dispersal paintings to loving homes.    

It was an honor to be part of the ASA team working with our new Programs Director Tess Parker who seamlessly took up the mantel of Laura’s work & has made it uniquely her own – these kinds of meaningful events are serving the members in a deep impactful way – as well as opening the Anthroposophical Society to a whole new generation of Michaelites. What a delight to be with so many young people whose insights always enlighten me. I look forward to future Convergences with the Sophia & with all of you…

Thanks to everyone who have been participating in this debriefing conversation, the research & unveiling continues…

~hag

30 April 2022 “Speaking with the Stars”: From Human Questions Cosmic Answers by Rudolf Steiner: “An eclipse of the sun is due to the fact that the moon comes between the sun and the earth, cutting off the rays of the sun.

At the time of a solar eclipse, for instance, something totally different takes place in the part of the earth affected from what is happening when there is no eclipse. When we know that on the one hand the rays of the sun penetrate down to the earth and on the other hand the forces or rays of will stream out to meet the sun.  At an eclipse, these forces radiate into the darkness, and there ensues a period of time, short though it may be, in which all that is of the nature of will upon the earth flows out into universal space in an abnormal way. It is different altogether from what takes place when there is no eclipse. Ordinarily, the physical sunlight unites with the radiations of will streaming towards it. When there is an eclipse, the forces of will flow unhindered into cosmic space.

The old initiates knew these things. They saw that at such a moment all the unbridled impulses and instincts of humanity surge out into the cosmos. And they gave their pupils the following explanation. They said: Under normal conditions the evil impulses of will which are sent out into the cosmos by human beings are, as it were, burned up and consumed by the rays of the sun, so that they can injure only man himself, but can do no universal harm. When, however, there is an eclipse of the sun, opportunity is given for the evil which is willed on earth to spread over the cosmos. An eclipse is a physical event behind which there lies a significant spiritual reality.”

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Margarita in Faust, by Fritz Roeber

Walpurgis Night, In Germanic folklore Walpurgisnacht, also called Hexennacht, literally “Witches’ Night” – the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in Francia.  In Goethe’s Faust we see 2 scenes: ‘Romantic Walpurgis Night’ the night of a witches’ meeting on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, a range of wooded hills in central Germany; and later in Part 2 a ‘Classical Walpurgis Night’ is featured.

65 – Seneca, teacher of Nero, murdered

1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.

1812 – Birthday of the enigmatic Kaspar Hauser

1877 – Birthday of Alice B. Toklas, an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century. Life partner of American writer Gertrude Stein

1885 – The Niagara Reservation becomes New York’s first state park, ensuring that Niagara Falls will not be devoted solely to industrial & commercial use

1939 – The 1939-40 New York World’s Fair opens

1945 – Adolf Hitler commits suicide

1963 – The Bristol Bus Boycott is held to protest the Company’s refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom

This is the Eve of Beltane or May Day. Beltane, the old Celtic name for May Day, means bright fire or fire of Bel, the name of the Solar force, whose feast marks the beginning of the 2nd half of the year.

Wood from 9 sacred trees is gathered, & the great Bel-fire is built & ritualistically ignited by the High priestess or Arch-Druid. People would jump these ‘need-fires’ for fertility, healing & protection.

Torches lit from it were carried home to re-light the hearth fires. The folk would walk their animals in-between them to ensure a productive season – this is the mating season after all for man & beast.

There were other May Day customs, like walking the circuit of one’s property, repairing fences & boundary markers, processions of all kinds, archery tournaments, Morris dances, sword play, & of course making merry with music & drinking.

May morning is a time when the veil between the worlds can easily be pushed aside; but instead of the spirits coming into our realm from the other side, which is the case with Halloween, the polar opposite of Mayday on the wheel of the year -the fairies can enchant us over into their mystical realms.

This is a magical time, perfect for gathering ‘wild’ water, especially the May morning dew, or water from hidden wells & springs. These wild waters were collected & used to bath in for beauty, or to drink for health.

May Day is considered the start of summer – the time of milk & honey. This sensuous fertile energy is totally universal, & can be applied on many different levels. When we acknowledge these creative forces in the dance of our lives, it takes us to our own personal, modern-day version of dancing around the maypole, where we weave & combine the opposing energies within ourselves, blending them into one balanced source.

So yes, whether you know it or not, there will be at least one song that plays in your sub-conscious head on this eve of the 1st day of May, when you become perhaps, the Queen of the May, or Jack-in the Green. Our body like the body of the earth instinctively knows its Beltane, the time of vitality & passion & new growth. And the wisdom of our spirit seeks the natural union of polarities that occur at this time, giving us the opportunity for integration, in the alchemical dance of our souls…

Because under all the sexual innuendo & frivolity, it’s really all about the inner mystic marriage, the union of fire & water -opposites complimenting each other, to become one, bringing all the elements into balance.

You’ll just have to go dancing naked in the forest preserve on your own time…

For now, let’s work to unify the polarities of our being, by sparking the new fire of creative fertility & passion, & marrying it with the beautiful, healing waters of compassion & pure love. So we can truly celebrate the marriage feast of our lives, with a grounded, mindful joy.

So if it is your will – light your Bel-fire, marry it to the water, by floating it in the chalice of your choice. Take the time you need there…To do or not, what you will…Whisper your marriage vows into the water…or dance the 1st dance…or smash the glass…whatever your ceremony calls for…short simple or silent…it doesn’t matter…a 3 day bacchanal, with dancing puppets…it’s all good…cause it’s all about what’s inside…

~hag

Wednesday May 4th 7 pm PDT on ZOOM for the Sacramento Faust Branch

From Necessity to Freedom – The Evolution of Human Consciousness

From the vaporous cleft of Mount Parnassus, and the birth place of Greek Philosophy, to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, and the Holy Grail – From Prophesy to Warning, from Fate to Karma, From Destiny to Free Will.

Hazel Archer-Ginsberg – Founder of Reverse Ritual: Understanding Anthroposophy through the Rhythms of the Year & the ‘I Think Speech’ Podcast. Trans-denominational Minister, Essayist, Lecturer, Poet, Anthroposopher – working as the Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, & as the Central Regional Council representative on the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America. Past Video Recordings

We appreciate your support of the ongoing work of The Faust Branch in making these offerings available. Admission for lectures: Faust Branch members $5, non-members $10. No one excluded for lack of funds. Admission fees may be made via PayPal

Join Zoom Meeting – Conversation 6:45 pm PDT, Presentation 7 pm PDT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81856833235?pwd=Z29CQ1hVUWFEUjE1alkyb2RMSVIwZz09

Meeting ID: 818 5683 3235
Passcode: 576668

‘Let Freedom Ring – Reclaiming the Wisdom of Columbia – Folk Soul of America’.

A zoom presentation with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg For the Greater Washington Branch of the Anthroposophical Society

1 pm ET – 2:30 pm ET Saturday 14 May 2022

Join Zoom Meeting:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86119386116

Meeting ID: 861 1938 6116

Email asgwb.dc@gmail.com with any questions

Hazel Archer-Ginsberg – Founder of Reverse Ritual: Understanding Anthroposophy through the Rhythms of the Year & theI Think Speech’ Podcast. Trans-denominational Minister, Essayist, Lecturer, Poet, Anthroposopher – working as the Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, & as the Central Regional Council representative on the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America. Past Video Recordings